Happy Birthday Pops!

My Dad and Harrison share a birthday. I know, could I be a better daughter.....the first grandchild and born on his Granddad's birthday?? My brother, Justin, said all I needed to do was name Harrison Kevin and I would have had it in the bag! Sometimes I even amaze myself.

My family loves 'Top 10 Lists' as they are concise and to the point. So, here's a shout-out to my Pops on his birthday. 'Top 10' quotes and/or life lessons taught to me from my Dad.

1. My Dad was green long before it was a household name. One of my jobs as a kid was to separate and load the recycle in the car for Dad to drive it the closest recycling bin about 15 miles away. The man sported the same 'BK Knight' tennis shoes for 13 years.


2. "You got to have crossroads in life. Never allow yourself to end up at life's intersection with only one way to turn."


3. "If you're willing to wager your integrity on so little then what is it really worth?" One time I heard this after Dad watched me buying bulk candy and I ate one of the pieces before weighing the bag. I argued that the candy I ate couldn't cost more than five cents. He said it was concerning that my integrity was worth so little.


4. Smith's aren't quitters (I know I'm technically not a Smith anymore, but it runs through my veins, right?)


5. I won't raise a 'dumb female'. This required many of my high school weekends to be spent changing oil in our cars, rotating tires, and all the other 'honey-do's' on my Dad's list


6. My pre-marriage talk: "Gretchy, Steve is the mighty ship and you're the little tug boat. Now, don't be discouraged by this, the tug boat is small but very strong. And with persistence and gentle nudging the mighty ship will go where the tug boat wants." Kid. You. Not. This was my pep talk from my Dad.


7. "It doesn't matter if people are talkin' about you, as long as they're talkin'."


8. 'Functional Christmas'- only stuff we needed, not wanted. One year for Christmas, my little brother, Alex had to write a 250-word essay explaining how a Superninentendo would be beneficial in his life.


9. When filling up the family car with fuel (Dad never called gas gas, no matter how many times we told him it wasn't a rocket ship we were driving.) that I was rarely able to drive in high school, I had take note of the tripometer and figure the miles per gallon the tank had averaged. If this number deviated from the norm the car would then require a full one-over. Dad had a deep connection with the cars, a connection he said was necessary to keep the cars running smoothly.


10. My Dad is not a very emotional man. Although he has grown softer over the past years, a childhood from a hard-nosed father and years of military life has polished him down to a nice, smooth stone. I have seen my Dad cry twice. The first when he dropped me off at college and the second when he gave me away on my wedding day. The life lesson I've learned from this is not to wait to tell your family how much they mean to you. I tell my Mom, Dad, brothers, and family that I love them every time we end a conversation. I love ya, Dad, I hope we have many more birthdays and 'Top 10' lists to share.
    

Flashback. Memorial Day Weekend

Camp Mabry's finest.

Dad spent much of this Army career in tanks. He had lots of cool stuff to tell us.

We blatantly ignored the signs that asked us to kindly not climb on the tanks.

Harrison contemplates a future in the Army......buddy, we'll see about that.

Uh, yah, a one year old is driving. Nothing to see here, folks.

This was a fighter plane just like in Top Gun. Steve couldn't contain his excitement when he climbed into the cockpit. He got mad when I wouldn't call him 'Maverick'

I have been looking all over for my camera. I love this camera. Not because it's anything special, but because I know how to use it. It is the camera that Steve's parents gave us after Harrison was born. I have used it so much most of the words have rubbed off, leaving only my memory to know which dial is the picture versus camcorder. I last used it Memorial Day weekend when we went to Austin to visit my brothers and Dad. Dad is retired Army so he stayed at Camp Mabry in Austin. To honor all of those we need to remember on Memorial Day we visited the Camp's museum. When we came home I couldn't find the camera anywhere. I assumed it, and the memories it held, were lost forever. So strange to me things that are lost, when they are found I would swear I had looked in that spot a thousand times. It was in my umbrella stroller. Just waiting to be found. Dad was disappointed when the camera was lost, as he thought this was going to be his opportunity to be a blog star. Well, here ya' go Dad, the camera is found.....you're a star!